Did you know
A later house.
Keiss House, behind the castle, was built around 1755.
Caithness
Keiss Castle
A ruined Z-plan tower house of about 1600 standing on the very edge of the cliffs at Keiss, north of Wick, a short walk from the village harbour.
Welcome
Just north of the village of Keiss, where the long sweep of Sinclair's Bay meets the cliffs, a ruined castle stands so close to the edge that it seems about to step off.
Keiss Castle was built around 1600 by George Sinclair, Earl of Caithness, a tall tower house on a Z-plan, with round towers at its corners, a vaulted basement and four floors above.
Its roofs and floors are long gone, but the walls still stand tall, with stepped gables and empty windows looking out to sea. In the evening the sandstone glows warm in the low sun. Behind it on the headland stands Keiss House, the later mansion, built around 1755, and below the castle to the south is the level ground where boats once landed.
Park in the village and walk down past the harbour and along the shore; it is under a kilometre. The castle stands on crumbling cliffs, so admire it from a safe distance.
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Before you go
Seen from the shore and the coast path at any time.
The ruin stands on the cliff edge; keep back from it.
- Where
- Keiss, north of Wick.
- Built
- Around 1600.
- Walk
- 0.7km from the village.
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Add your reviewDid you know
Did you know
An older site.
The castle is said to stand on the much older site of Raddar.
Ben Lerwill
From our guide to Caithness
Standing precariously on a clifftop precipice, as if it were some sort of monstrous geological feature in its own right, the ruined Keiss Castle is – or rather, was – a fine coastal stronghold a few miles north of Wick. It was built as a Z-plan tower house in the 16th century, and was a favoured residence of George Sinclair, the 5th Earl of Caithness.
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What is on in CaithnessWhere it is
On the cliffs just north of the village of Keiss, on the A99 eight miles north of Wick; park in the village and walk down past the harbour.
Close byKeiss.
Wick Golf ClubAn 18-hole links at Reiss, three miles north of Wick, played since 1873 and redesigned by John Sutherland of Royal Dornoch in 1907.3 miles as the crow flies
Reiss Sands6 miles 10 min by road
Sinclair’s BayA long white beach near Wick, between the ruins of Keiss Castle and Castle Sinclair Girnigoe.6 miles 10 min by road
John o' GroatsThe end of the road, to the north.8 miles 13 min by road
Ebenezer PlaceThe world's shortest street, in Wick.8 miles 14 min by road
Castle Sinclair GirnigoeAnother Sinclair castle, south by Noss Head.12 miles 28 min by road
Stay nearby
Places to stay near the castle, and when each is next free.
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Read on
What we have written about it, the collections it is in and more in Caithness.
Find out more
For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .
- Keiss CastleIts history and the walk.thebrochproject.co.ukCaithness Broch Project↗
- Caithness and SutherlandCastles of Caithness.caithnessandsutherland.comCaithness and Sutherland↗
- Castle Sinclair GirnigoeThe Sinclairs' stronghold.undiscoveredscotland.co.ukUndiscovered Scotland↗
- John o' GroatsTo the north.undiscoveredscotland.co.ukUndiscovered Scotland↗